Meet the New Chair of World Urban Parks

The Board of World Urban Parks is proud to announce that Jayne Miller (President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy) has been elected as the new Chair of the World Urban Parks Board. Jayne has been a very active Board member since the inception of World Urban Parks and has played a leading role in setting the standard for urban parks in America.

A Message from the New Chair of World Urban Parks

First and most important, I want to thank Gil for his leadership with World Urban Parks these past 3 years. All of us know Gil’s commitment and dedication to urban parks and his leadership has been critical to getting this organization up and running. We all owe Gil a debt of gratitude and thanks for his hard work and leadership not just for WUP but for the urban parks movement. While he will not be the board chair, his role as Ambassador is just as critical and I look forward to continuing to support him as he supports WUP. Thank you Gil!

As I embark in my new leadership role with WUP, I will be reaching out to Gil and others in WUP to continue our work. As the population in cities around the world is growing extensively, our work is especially critical today and into the near future. As park and recreation professionals, we play a significant role in ensuring the health and well-being for the people living in these cities through the provision of quality parks and green spaces and positive recreation opportunities. We also can ensure that the environment of these cities is well cared for as well. We are a talented group of professionals around the world who can make the world a better place!

Finding the WUP’s niche in the world of parks and recreation is critically important. Our emerging cities work is a unique niche we can fill – we can help cities as they are expanding and growing and facing challenges to meet the needs of all who are living in them. Let’s make sure parks, green spaces and recreation are the basis of these cities to ensure a high quality of life for the citizenry living in these cities and that the cities are being great stewards of the natural environment.

Let’s take some extra time to do this important work on WUP! Please roll up your sleeves with me as we do this critical work!

Jayne Miller

Chair, World Urban Parks

Learn more about Jayne – A Profile

Beginning in February 2018, Jayne began her service as the President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy (PPC), a U.S. nationally recognized parks conservancy. The PPC was founded in 1996 by a group of citizens concerned with the deteriorating conditions of Pittsburgh’s historic city parks. Since 1998, the PPC has worked closely with the City of Pittsburgh under an official public-private partnership agreement to restore the city’s four regional parks. To date, the PPC has raised over $109M for Pittsburgh parks and has completed 20 major improvement projects. Currently active in 22 parks, the PPC has expanded into community and neighborhood parks throughout Pittsburgh. The PPC is poised to raise its profile even further; working with the City for a parks referendum in 2019 and creating a unified governance structure with the PPC being responsible for management, operations and development of all Pittsburgh parks.

From November 2010 through February 2018, Jayne served as the Superintendent of the nationally renowned and CAPRA accredited Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB). Jayne was responsible for high-level oversight and leadership of the urban park system under the direction of a nine-member elected policy-making board. The MPRB was recognized by the Trust for Public Land in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 as the #1 Park System in the United States. In 2016 and 2017, the MPRB was named a finalist for the National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation as an agency that demonstrates excellence in long range planning, resource management and innovative approaches to delivering superb park and recreation services with fiscally sound business practices.

The MPRB is a diverse system of land and water spanning 6,804 acres of parkland and water featuring 179 parks with 22 lakes, 49 recreation centers, 112 playgrounds, 7 golf courses, 12 formal gardens, 200+ miles of biking and walking paths, 396 multipurpose sports fields, 65 wading pools, 5 outdoor performance stages, nature sanctuaries and the 55-mile Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway. Together these properties annually serve approximately 22.7 million visitors. As Superintendent, Jayne provided leadership to a staff of 558 full-time and 1200 part-time employees and oversaw an annual operating and capital budget of over $112 million.

Jayne serves on the board of the City Parks Alliance, World Urban Parks and Indiana University Executive Development Program. She is a Commissioner on the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) and is a member of the American Academy of Park and Recreation Administrators. Jayne also served as a Founding Member of Editorial Board for theJournal of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism in Public Health.